Galio, The Colossus, Smashes His Way To Victory

The newest edition to Riot Games’ collection of re-worked champions in League of Legends is Galio, The Colossus. His re-work was released yesterday, and I can already tell that his power reaches much further than his previous build. In this article, I’m going to go over a few videos to showcase Galio’s gameplay and how his kit can be utilized to ensure victory on the fields of justice. His name is Galio Justice Justice, after all. Note that all of these videos are from me playing as him, and so they might not be up to professional standards, considering I’m not all that good. Either way, you’ll get the idea!

The first clip below shows me coming in on a Yasuo with my E, only to be interrupted by his ultimate. That’s okay, though, because Galio is tanky and can absorb a lot of damage. His previous build was dependent on him facing a mage because his passive allowed him to stack magic resist for extra ability power. His current build is similar, but he now only gains a shield as his W’s passive which absorbs magic damage. This change gives Galio some balance that wasn’t previously there, in a way that helps him fight effectively against non-magic damaging champions. Back to the clip. I’m caught in Yasuo’s ult after I use my E, but regain ground as I catch him in my Q, then taunt him with my W. After, I use my passive to deal extra damage with my basic attack. He’s on the verge of death, so all I do is shoot my Q in hopes that it hits him. It does.

In the previous clip, you saw that, not only can Galio take on magic damage dealing champions (as both of his builds were designed to do), but he can also face off against champions that primarily deal attack damage. In this next highlight, you’ll see how he can lane against a mage effectively. Orianna has a lot of poke potential, especially against a melee champion like Galio. But it’s in this instance where Galio’s magic shield comes in handy. It puts a lot of pressure on your opponent to land their skill shots (if they have them), especially since you can poke back with your Q. Watch how utilizing The Colossus’ kit can secure first blood with his Hulk smash.

What’s special about this new Galio build is his ultimate. There are a lot of different uses for it, but, ultimately, it’s best utilized coming from the mid lane. I’ve seen players use the re-worked champion in the jungle, and I understand why (the gank potential is unreal, he has relatively fast camp clears). But his abilities are best applied against mid lane champions. Plus, if he’s in that lane, then he can gank the top or bottom lanes easily by using his ultimate. The fear of a gank from a Galio will shoot fear into the hearts of your opponents. If you do plan to use him in the jungle, then use your ultimate correctly and you may just help your team win. Here’s a clip of me using my ultimate to assist my top laner when he or she is in the middle of getting ganked. Timing is essential.

Laning against opponents won’t always be as easy as it looks in the previous highlights. It really depends on the champion you’re going against, how you manage your mana, when you go in with your E, the efficiency of your poke and taunt, and when you use your ultimate. But as most League of Legends, or MOBA at that, players know: every character has their counter. The new Galio has only been out for a few days now, so it’s hard to say what champions he struggles against. But if I had to take a guess, his counters would most likely be attack damage champions with enough crowd control to keep him at bay. One thing is for certain, though: you have to make sure to not get caught deep in a lane. Although you could ultimate to a teammate who’s safe–and close by–it’s still risky. Galio doesn’t do enough damage to take on a whole team coming at him. So play safe and smart, and the towering Colossus will be the guardian you’ve been yearning for.